Totally sick!!!!

[Guest Paulo]

Well my dad warned me that pigeon racing is full of heartbreak and he's right. Have 5 Young birds at the minute 3 kindly donated off members of this forum and 2 I have bred myself. Have had them settled in the loft for a few weeks and haven't rushed them just put them out in cage everyday so they can get a good look at their surroundings. Have just started to get them out of the shed and back in all the usual stress of them flapping about like wild things avoiding wires etc you know the way young birds go on.

 

Have had a day off work today so thought would let them out waited until 10.30 so everybody on the allotments would be work and pigeons would be locked in etc. Let them out everything was fine for first hour they had a few cheeky flights around just getting used to using their wings as they are latebreds and then they all took up all of a sudden couldn't see nothing that had spooked their so quickly searched for them in the sky as they normally just have a flight round and land again and can't see no sign of them but theres a huge and I mean huge drag of pigeons in the sky and I've got a nasty feeling they have got in with them.

 

Went down the shed at 3.30 and only one of them has come back little check bushchart cock he was nervous as hell as well so god knows what happens he's not injured or anything so have fed him and left him in peace.

 

I feel totally gutted this morning I had 5 beautiful youngs un's and now down to one hopefully I'll get the others back but I'm not hopefull as they are not rung or wingstamped.

 

I feel like a right *expletive removed* because my dad told me it would be best to wait until I got a wingstamp and a couple of the blokes said its a wate of time letting them out and I should just wait until I've bred young uns off them to race. But guess I thought I knew better obviously not a painfull lesson.

 

I'm really sorry to the people I've got the birds off on here cause they have put hard work into breeding them and like a total novice who should have know better I've lost the lot.

 

Hopefully they will work their way back but I'm not hopefull isn't it the case when that happens that they fly and fly with the drag until they are totally lost?

[Guest]

Keep your chin up Paulo , nip back to the lofts after tea and have a look ? Tell the other guys on the allotment 4 ybs are still out . Tonight when youve time send an order off for a wingstamp , and some brightly coloured clip rings . Let us all know the outcome . CHEERS

[Keepsmilingqueen]

i know exactly how you feel !! same thing happened to me this year as a result i only have 3 old enough to race and 5 latebreds i started off with 15   but take north wales advice they may turn up ! what makes me most sad is that mine were rung both NEHU and with tel phone rings and not one was reported  :'(

 

ps if you want some very latebred replacements my old birds are still paired up as are jimmy's pair who are incidently due to lay (or so he tells me) But alas iv ran out of rings so cant keep anything to replace my own losses  > (next year im ordering more than 15 rings !! lol)

 

ps the only ring i have spare is a 2001 ring, do i dare ring a youngen with that for next year ? bearing in mind nothing in my current race team is over 2003 rung

[THE FIFER]

NO PROBLEM PUTTING AN OLD RING ON A YB, THE ONLY THING U CANT RACE AS A YB BUT CAN AS AN OLD BIRD. BUT IF JUST FOR STOCK THEN YES PUT THE RING ON, WILL HELP IF IT GETS LOST. HOPE UR BIRDS SHOW UP, I DO NOT THINK U DONE WRONG LETTING THEM OUT, AS UR BETTER WITH BIRDS HOMING THAN PRISONERS, THIS HAPPENS WITH LATE BREDS IF THEY GET UP FOR THE FIRST TIME AND GET INTO ANOTHER BATCH, AND TAKEN AWAY THEY HAVE NOT GOT THE EXPERIENCE OF THEIR AREA.

[Wiley]

i had a massive fly away about 11 weeks ago,after timing in on saturday more pigeons come one pigeon went in like a rocket,looked to see what one it was didnt have a rubber on,so i thought it must of went into someone,when looking in my book i found out i lost this bird at the fly away and was exactly identicle to its nest mate that went to the race,they can work there way back its a miracle from the fly away nearly every pigeon has made its way back,funnily enough one came back today as i was waiting for the trainers went in picked it up it was flee riden this was the only one i could defaintly say out of all the ones that returned back had not been copped up in someones loft,as the rest all come back lookin like oil paintings

[Guest Paulo]

Thanks everybody. Told all the blokes up the allotments to keep their eyes open for the birds. Just remembered one is rung its a black ebony arden I got off Tammy1 I'll get the number out of my loft book and post it on the lost birds bit on here. No sign of the rest through was down the loft until last light and up then from 5.00 - 6.45 this morning nearly missed my lift to work.

 

Had a argument with my mam last night she said dunno why you are so worried they are only pigeons its not like the dog has gone missing or anything. Non-fanciers just don't understand do they!!!

 

My grans going to pop down today so hopefully some of them will come back.

 

How many rings are you going to order like keepsmilingqueen think I will order 30 next year. And aim for a team of 25 young uns with 5 rings spare in case of having to breed replacements.

[Keepsmilingqueen]

i feel like ordering  1000 lmao then at least i might have 2 or 3 to add to the old bird team the next year lol more realistically tho i have the space in the young bird for a YB team of 50 (thats with 80% of perches occupied), so was thinking of getting that many rings and seeing how i go, the rings this year had been pre ordered before my dads death so i just had to make do  

 

ps my mums like that about the birds too, you should have seen her face when i told her i had to stay in for amtrak on tues !! give her her due tho she is a big help esspecially when the OB folkstone national was held over this year, it ended up being on a weekday and i was at college !! *the horror* but she timed in for me (her 1st try at timing in bless her) and we won 1st club (alas we dont feature in the section results tho) we must have just had the fastest slowest bird in our fed lol

[Guest Paulo]

1000 lol the skys will be dark around your house! 50 should be fine even I couldn't lose that many. 30 should be plenty for me my lofts not big enough for more.

[stevebelbin]

I have 5 latebreds ready to go now if you would like them, Ive only kept them as they are off my best, and looked belters in the nest. You only live down the road, so you it wouldnt cost you the cost of carriage. 4 have rings on and one doesnt, and unluckily the one without a ring is the best young'un ive bred this year.

[Guest]

my grandad always used to say to me,

'no need to breed a lot, breed 50 and loose half and you have lost 25, breed 20 and loose half you have only lost 10!'

[Keepsmilingqueen]

;D has anything returned for you yet ???

 

[Guest Paulo]

Victory!!!!! just returned from the allotment red janssen red fox cock has returned. Was in my mate eddies garden and it landed on his loft roof couldn't get it to come down so eddie said its obviously reconised you try and go to your allotment and get it down and give me one of his cutdown tumblers. So nipped across and it followed me across got the corn tin chucked some corn in the trapping corridor put the tumbler down in front of the loft it landed straight away give the tumbler an evil look and straight into his compartment.

 

So now one black pigeon, 1 redfox hen and 1 cheq hen down!

 

Hopefully so more will turn up one of the old men reckons he has seen the cheq hen flying about and sitting on my loft roof but he shouts at crows on race day so it was prob a crow

[jimmy white]

yip ,theres certainly more downs than ups in pigeon racing, but thats what makes winning a race more valuable,

i hope you get more of your birds back , they do have a knack at surprising you at times

[Guest]

Definite chin up! Reckon you did the right thing, let them out when its quiet.

 

Your birds will be hanging about locally, they're not properly on the wing yet and wouldn't be able to catch never mind keep up with a batch of trainers or racers.

 

Pity you don't have some old birds, the trick is to keep birds out dawn till dusk to bring the AWOLs down.

 

 

[Guest Paulo]

Cheers Jimmy he surprised me last night great feeling I was really glad to see him its surprising how attached you get to them.

 

Aye Bruno thats the bother my old birds are all stock birds so can't let them out. He came down straight away when he saw the tumbler.

 

Saw the cheq hen this morning couldn't get her in through as everybody had their birds out the lads all know what she looks like as she has a red clip ring on so will keep her for me if she comes in their loft.

 

No sign of the black one or the red hen yet

[Wiley]

Well they seem to be making there way back,hopefully they will all return in time

[Guest Paulo]

Just pleased to see a couple of them again as I thought it was all over. Getting them tame again as well. The little cock seemed terrifed when he came in on his own but now the other bird is back in with him they were both sitting on my legs eating seed this morning. I like to get in with them on a morning and just sit down in the compartment with them when they get their feed, same on a night.

 

Just a bit worried as the sodding hawk is hanging around again I hate the stupid thing.

[Wiley]

Them hawks are a pest even in london,luckily where i live my neighbour keeps barn owls and i tend not to see many near the fascinity.Well it sounds like you have got them nice and tame anyhow Paulo,so a love of home instinct will be defaintly there,

[Keepsmilingqueen]

anything else returned paulo, i got a youngster back today totally out of the blue (i just saw it sitting on the landing board) and it must have been missing since may it dissapeared off the loft when still squeaking, so god knows were she's been (in someones loft by the look of it *grrr*)

 

iv stuck her in an isolation box incase she is harbouring any nasties, and will give her a week or two and see if she feels like staying with her rightful owner !!

[Roland]

I bought 30 y/b's. before they had ranged they were hit by a Mid WeekFederation   Race. One on the day back. fetched two reported, transferrred 2 and 3 worked back.... Hard, but that's life I guess.

Will fetch a few back I suppose early next season when they are reported.

Will put them in a Stock loft - to be made available, even if only to rear others eggs. I will have only 12 birds...

A good friend to me gave me 6 off his best, and has promised me some for the stock loft.

Why will I fetch them next season. Well to muck them up lol as it mucked me up. for they will have put them through the hop, and if passed the tests they will want to keep and try them proper in THEIR own names of course.

Strange how many are reported in February  / March like lol

[Guest Paulo]

Had nothing more back yet that cheq hen is still hnaging around but is being awkwrd about coming problem is the chinese takeway near us keeps pigeons in his garden and they have open lethole so I think she is getting fed there.

 

Visited stevebelbin on sunday and got those young uns he has kindly given me. Nice birds are settling in fine with the others had them out in the crate yesterday evening for a hour along with the two young uns I have let who were lying around the loft so at least those two are hanted now.

 

Glad you have got it back keepsmilingqueen it will prob turn out to be a good pigeon after making its way back after all that time.

[Guest Paulo]

Good news got another return last night.

 

Red fox hen came down when my mate was exercising his young birds and he managed to get it in the loft. So thats just two more birds to come one of which has been seen hanging around locally. Other birds are making good progress had the new arrivals basketed up and had the red cock and the little bush cock out free flying the red cock did a hour with next doors pigeons and the little cock fluttered around a bit ground to loft room etc. Took five minutes rattling of the corn tin but got them in ok.

 

Also saw a spray knocking around curious it looked in good nick and had an electonic ring on and a gold ring. Couldn't catch it to see where it was from.

[Wiley]

Told ya they'll work there way back up!

[Guest Paulo]

just glad I've got the majority back I think Bruno must be right and they have just got themselves disoriented locally.

[peterpau]

Glad you got 'em mate. I have a couple ready to leave the nest, as will others, so no need to panick.